Kate Heslop (ed.) 2012, ‘Anonymous Poems, Óláfs drápa Tryggvasonar 20’ in Diana Whaley (ed.), Poetry from the Kings’ Sagas 1: From Mythical Times to c. 1035. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 1. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 1051.
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hrafn (noun m.; °hrafns; dat. hrafni; hrafnar): raven < hrafngreddir (noun m.): [raven-feeder]
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greddir (noun m.): feeder < hrafngreddir (noun m.): [raven-feeder]
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standa (verb): stand
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1. hodd (noun f.): gold, treasure
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hættr (adj.; °compar. -ari/-ri, superl. -astr): dangerous
[2] hættastr*: ‘hattr stod’ Bb
[2] hættastr* ‘most hazardous’: The ms. reading ‘hattr’ would be difficult to make sense of, whether it represented hattr m. ‘hat’ or háttr m. ‘mode, custom’; l. 2 in the ms. lacks aðalhending; and the presence of stóð ‘stood’ in both ll. 1 and 2 is most likely a case of dittography. (a) This emendation, suggested by Gullberg (1875), makes good sense of the ms. reading and yields a kenning-like adjectival phrase hættastr hoddum ‘most hazardous to hoards’, for which there is a close parallel (SnSt Ht 99/3III hringum hæztir ‘most hazardous to rings’). (b) Skj B reads hættr ‘hazardous’, leaves stóð ‘stood’ in l. 2 and emends ‘stod’ in l. 1 to skaut ‘shot’. This provides a verb for hrafngreddir ‘raven-feeder [WARRIOR]’ which in the interpretation above is an apposition to the ‘generous man’ kenning, but it gives a less convincing explanation of Bb’s text and assumes that skaut ‘shot’ is intransitive. (c) NN §3127 reads hættr stoðjafnt, where the second (unattested) word is said to mean ‘straight as a pillar’.
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jafn (adj.; °comp. -ari, superl. -astr): even, just
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sem (conj.): as, which
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2. eiga (verb; °á/eigr (præs. pl. 3. pers. eigu/eiga); átti, áttu; átt): own, have
[2] ætti: ‘atti’ Bb
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linnr (noun m.): snake
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linnr (noun m.): snake
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í (prep.): in, into
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lyfting (noun f.; °-ar, dat. -u, acc. -): after-deck
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3. sinn (pron.; °f. sín, n. sitt): (refl. poss. pron.)
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látr (noun n.; °; dat. -um): lair < látrkennir (noun m.)
[4] látrkennir ‘lair-master’: Emendation suggested by Konráð Gíslason (1866a, 248). Bb’s reading could be construed without emendation as látrkœnn ‘lair-wise’, but this does not provide enough syllables, the necessary aðalhending, or the required base-word to the kenning for ‘generous man’. The kenning is here taken in apposition to hrafngreddir ‘raven-feeder [WARRIOR]’, though apposition of two kennings is rare. It could alternatively be taken as the subject of ætti ‘(he) had’ in the subordinate clause, though more complex syntax results.
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látr (noun n.; °; dat. -um): lair < látrkennir (noun m.)
[4] látrkennir ‘lair-master’: Emendation suggested by Konráð Gíslason (1866a, 248). Bb’s reading could be construed without emendation as látrkœnn ‘lair-wise’, but this does not provide enough syllables, the necessary aðalhending, or the required base-word to the kenning for ‘generous man’. The kenning is here taken in apposition to hrafngreddir ‘raven-feeder [WARRIOR]’, though apposition of two kennings is rare. It could alternatively be taken as the subject of ætti ‘(he) had’ in the subordinate clause, though more complex syntax results.
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kennir (noun m.): teacher < látrkennir (noun m.)
[4] ‑kennir: ‘kęnn’ Bb
[4] látrkennir ‘lair-master’: Emendation suggested by Konráð Gíslason (1866a, 248). Bb’s reading could be construed without emendation as látrkœnn ‘lair-wise’, but this does not provide enough syllables, the necessary aðalhending, or the required base-word to the kenning for ‘generous man’. The kenning is here taken in apposition to hrafngreddir ‘raven-feeder [WARRIOR]’, though apposition of two kennings is rare. It could alternatively be taken as the subject of ætti ‘(he) had’ in the subordinate clause, though more complex syntax results.
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fjǫr (noun n.): life
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þrennr (adj.): three(fold)
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2. þykkja (verb): seem, think
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ek (pron.; °mín, dat. mér, acc. mik): I, me
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2. ekki (adv.): not
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ógn (noun f.; °-ar; -ir): terror, battle < ógnblíðr (adj.): battle-happy
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blíðr (adj.; °n. sg. nom. & acc. blítt/blíðt; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): gentle, happy < ógnblíðr (adj.): battle-happy
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síðan (adv.): later, then
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1. hjaldr (noun m.): battle
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1. hjaldr (noun m.): battle
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frá (prep.): from
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horskr (adj.; °compar. -ari): wise
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gildir (noun m.): payer, supporter
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hafa (verb): have
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2. sannr (adj.; °-an; compar. -ari, superl. -astr): true < 1. sannfregna (verb): [truly heard]
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1. fregna (verb): hear of < 1. sannfregna (verb): [truly heard]
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1. annarr (pron.; °f. ǫnnur, n. annat; pl. aðrir): (an)other, second
Interactive view: tap on words in the text for notes and glosses
Hrafngreddir stóð hoddum |
The raven-feeder [WARRIOR], most hazardous to hoards, master of the serpent’s lair [(lit. ‘lair-master of the serpent’) GOLD > GENEROUS MAN], stood on his after-deck, just as if he had three lives. I seem not to have truly heard anything else since about the sage, most battle-delighting dispenser of the uproar of Yggr <= Óðinn> [BATTLE > WARRIOR].
[5-8]: The helmingr’s uncertainty about Óláfr’s fate is reminiscent of Hfr ErfÓl 20-7, and sannfregit ‘truly heard’ may be a direct verbal echo of Hfr ErfÓl 22/5.
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